Passengers board a bus bound for Disneyland on Sunday, Jan. 14, in Riverside, on the inaugural run of a new service provided by the Riverside Transit Agency. On Sunday, May 13, RTA added a late bus for people wanting to take in the Disneyland fireworks show. (File photo by Micah Escamilla, contributing photographer)

Responding to customer desires and the surging popularity of a service barely four months old, the Riverside Transit Agency this week added a late bus on a route that runs to Anaheim from San Bernardino and Riverside.

“The good news is, people who are catching an Angels game or staying later at Disneyland have a new option to get home,” said Brad Weaver, spokesman for the agency that runs a bus system in western Riverside County.

Debuting Sunday, May 13, the service added a bus that departs Disneyland at 10:15 p.m. daily. That’s an hour and 16 minutes later than what used to be the last weekday boarding, and 2 hours and 16 minutes after the former final pickup on weekend nights.

Passenger Mario Tovar, of Riverside, checks his phone as he rides a Riverside Transit Agency bus to Disneyland as the service debuts on Jan. 14, 2018. On Sunday, May 13, RTA added a late bus to the popular service. (File photo by Micah Escamilla, contributing photographer)

“There are a lot of people who are riding this route to go to Disneyland,” said Murrieta Councilman Randon Lane, first vice chair of the RTA board. “It’s a very quick route. It only makes a few stops.”

And many have asked that RTA add a late bus so they can hang around for fireworks and the parade, Lane said.

Also on Sunday, the agency adjusted most of its nearly 50 routes. For example, Route 12 eastbound buses began serving a new stop in downtown Riverside at University Avenue and Lemon Street and following a slightly different route through downtown, according to a list of the changes.

“Most of the changes are minor, with some scheduling tweaks,” Weaver said

However, bigger changes could be coming.

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On Thursday, May 24, the RTA board is set to consider several significant adjustments, including breaking up two lengthy routes — 22 and 27 — into two separate routes each.

“They’re so long and to keep a bus on schedule is so difficult,” said Jim Kneepkens, director of marketing. “We will be able to provide a little more consistency for customers.”

BUS ROUTE CHANGES

Here’s a look at new and proposed alterations.

Introduced Sunday, May 13: New late service on Route 200 from San Bernardino to Anaheim, with buses picking up passengers at Disneyland at 10:15 p.m. daily.

Possible in September: Route 22 from Lake Elsinore to Perris to Riverside would be divided into two routes to boost on-time performance. RTA would maintain Route 22 service between the Perris Transit Center and downtown Riverside. The section between Perris and Lake Elsinore would become a new Route 9.

Possible in January: Route 27 from Hemet to Perris to Riverside would be divided into two routes to boost on-time performance and frequency. RTA would maintain Route 27 service between Perris and the Galleria at Tyler in Riverside. The section between Perris and Hemet would become a new Route 28.

Dave is a general assignment reporter based in Riverside, writing about a wide variety of topics ranging from drones and El Nino to trains and wildfires. He has worked for five newspapers in four states: Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona and California. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Colorado State University in 1981. Loves hiking, tennis, baseball, the beach, the Lakers and golden retrievers. He is from the Denver area.